Set timetables, commitments and chart your weight loss goals

Getting to goal is not an end in itself, getting there is just one part of what you need to do. Once you get there, you will want to stay there. You have to enjoy the journey because during this journey you will learn a lot of new things and develop new habits that will last a lifetime. That is the great part of this journey—learning and enjoying new foods, new portions, taking care of yourself, and starting an exercise program.

How long should it take you to get to your goal? That depends on how much you have to lose and what you are willing and able to do to get there. You want to set a reasonable time to get to your goal.

After weight loss surgery, patients find that they lose weight almost by the hour

They love this “honeymoon.” Weight loss of 20 percent of excess body weight by the sixth week after surgery is not uncommon. We will discuss the reason for this in later chapters. Suffice it to say that expecting surgery to allow this amount of weight loss to continue at this rate is unreasonable.

Losing two pounds a week is ambitious—this would amount to over 100 pounds in a year. That’s a great goal to achieve but involves a lot of physical activity and a substantial decrease in calories, more than many are willing to give up. However, it can be done, whether you had surgery or not.

Examples of this type of weight loss abound, especially in Hollywood. Kate Hudson worked out two to three times a day after the birth of her child and lost the reported sixty pounds she gained with pregnancy in a few months. Sylvester Stallone gained forty pounds for one movie (mostly eating donuts) and lost it within two months afterwards by working out a lot. Renee Zellwigger gained and lost weight for various movie parts—all within a period of months. Again, these were individuals who had time during the day to devote to going to the gym and working out, and who had people preparing meals for them.

What does it take to lose a pound a week with Lap-band weight loss surgery?

Losing a half a pound per week to one pound per week is well within the reach of anyone. If you have ten pounds to lose, you can chart out losing that weight in ten weeks to five months. If you have forty pounds to lose, then within a year you will be there.

What does it take to lose a pound a week? To lose those 3500 calories a week you have to burn 500 calories more a day then you consume. 500 calories a day for seven days is 3500 calories, which is one pound of fat. There are two ways to do this: eat less or move more. The most effective method is a simple combination that allows you to achieve your goal by adding exercise, and making better choices about what you eat. To lose two pounds a week means that you would have to burn 1000 calories a day more than you consume. Remember, as your weight decreases, so do the number of calories it takes to maintain that weight. Hence, it becomes increasingly difficult to lose weight as you reach your goal. Starvation does not work as a weight loss tool—unless it is forced starvation.

There are some advantages to achieving the goal over a longer period of time than you achieved your initial goal with weight loss surgery. You need time to ingrain a habit, time to make this new you a part of everything that you do. Time to enjoy the control you have over food, over your body.

Set your timetable, and be reasonable. Remember, this will not be a straight line down the weight loss course. There will be ups and downs, but not because you are not using your tool—that is just the way the body works.

Continue